...I am surprised that chess.com enforces a fixed lag per move even when premoving. Very frustrating losing on time over and over in won endings purely because of the server imposed lag. Is there a way to change this in settings?
No, that is the way it works and can't be changed.
Ok, no settings adjustment. Can chess.com comment on why they don't change the premove code to use zero time? It's one of the benefits of online play.
Ok, no settings adjustment. Can chess.com comment on why they don't change the premove code to use zero time? It's one of the benefits of online play.
It used to be that way in the past. There were discussions and it was decided to add the minimum time. I may be able to find the old topic; if I do, I'll link it.
Haven't found the original discussions but found this one (post 16) https://www.chess.com/forum/view/help-support/mate-in-one-queued-in-premove-and-still-lose-on-time
And a recent article about it
https://www.chess.com/blog/DanielRensch/bullet-chess-philosophy
Thanks for the links. Needless to say, I don't agree with Daniel Rensch's view that without a lag online chess would not be chess because physical moves take a minimum amount of time. In that case why have premove at all since you can't premove over-the-board? Adding a lag removes much of the reason for allowing premove in the first place since most people can move within the lag time if they wish.
The restrictions imposed by our physical limitations are not an essential part of chess. Chess is a game defined by a set of rules. It is an abstraction. Its physical manifestation is just one representation of the game. And it is simply an accident of history that chess was invented before computers. Had it been invented after the advent of computers and the internet, we would never consider imposing a fixed lag per move.
On this view, zero-lag premove is arguably more faithful to chess, since it gives you a better chance to win a won game with less interference from the tyranny of our irrelevant physical limitations.
Zero time premove also allows mindless piece shuffling at the end of a game in an attempt to time out an opponent, more so than now. That also has the potential to make games last a really long time, where only completely unexpected moves are made to try and drop more seconds off the clock, e.g. sacrificial checks.
I certainly understand the desire to have zero time deductions and that is the way it was at one point. The site's thought on that changed and it is always possible it can change again, though I doubt it would go back to zero.
Mindless piece shuffling happens occasionally elsewhere, but honestly it doesn't take that long to hit the 50 move limit. Even if you're taking a couple of seconds per move it's less than 2 minutes and you're done.
50 move draw is a claim here and if you are in a battle to not lose on time, it might cost the game; though 75 move may be auto.
I really don't use premove often, when I play, but I understand why the site made the decision.
I also understand why they made the decision. But if we believe Rensch's justification, it was wrong. His motivation is entirely by analogy with OTB play, and a misguided assumption that the physical conditions of OTB play are part of the definition of chess. They're not. Chess is a game defined by a set of rules. The physical constraints of a particular playing environment are not part of the definition of chess.
They should just take a vote.
Coming from elsewhere, I am surprised that chess.com enforces a fixed lag per move even when premoving. Very frustrating losing on time over and over in won endings purely because of the server imposed lag. Is there a way to change this in settings?